Meet Me In The Bar

We are gearing up for vacation next week though. What is special about this particular vacation is that A). it was totally unexpected and B). Andrew was finally recognized for all of the hard work he has done over the past year.

Just before my trip to Ireland with Sue, Andrew had his yearly evaluation. He called me afterward sounding gloomy. I asked how it went.

“Well, they are sending us back across the ocean.”

Dead silence from my end as I had the thought of packing up everything – again, finding a new home – again, leaving new found friends behind – again. Just when things were starting to feel normal…

“What?!?” I finally stammered out.

“They are sending us to the Bahamas for a week, as a thank you for helping the top sales team.”

Apparently every year his company sends its top sales team from each region, and their families, somewhere for a week. This year they decided to include the service person that helped each team the most – that was Andrew.

So after a very tough year for him – flying all over creation, working until two in the morning repeatedly, and dealing with everything they’ve thrown at him – he finally gets a break for himself.

Alison Cornford-Matheson is a Canadian freelance writer and travel photographer and the founder of Cheeseweb.eu. She is the author of The Foodie Guide to Brussels: Local Tips for Restaurants, Shops, Hotels, and Activities. Alison landed in Belgium in 2005 and, over the years, has become passionate about slow and sustainable travel, in Europe and beyond. She loves to discover hidden gems - be they museums, shops, restaurants, castles, gardens or landscapes, and share them through her words and photos. She has visited 45 countries and is currently slow travelling through North America in an RV, with her husband, Andrew, and two well-travelled cats. You can also follow her work on Google+

Comment by Alison

Comment by Di

Mmmm, you didn’t mention that you almost gave me the same heart attack Andrew gave you … telling me you were heading back across the ocean.
My ‘nooooooooooooooooooooooo, you can’t go!!’ doesn’t appear anywhere in your story, although being a polite Kiwi chick, I may have kept the agonised scream inside my own head. 🙂
Glad you’re not leaving and sorry about the weather. Fingers crossed the predictions are wrong, failing that … drink up.

Comment by Jenn

Jenn
May 24, 2006 at 19:06

Make mine a stawberry margarita. I hope the 2 of you have a blast 🙂
HUGS,
Jenn

Comment by Lieve

Lieve
May 24, 2006 at 20:15

I’M NOT JEALOUS, NOT AT ALL….
I think Andrew as much as Alison deserved this very much. Enjoy the trip!!! Tell me when you’re leaving.
Congratulations Andrew, for your good evaluation!!!!
Lieve

Comment by Alison

Comment by Alison

Ame – Thank God you don’t expect me to consume banana … bleck. Andrew will have one for you though. Maybe I’ll see if I can find you a Mojito…
Lieve – I didn’t see a drink request for you but I’m anticipating a red wine?

Comment by Shannon

Shannon
May 25, 2006 at 10:32

Your father is a wise man. I would like a mango colada.. as this drink will NEVER be appropriate to drink here in Belgium.
Have fun!

Comment by Ame

Ame
May 25, 2006 at 15:25

Ooo…I would like something BANANA! But rather than ask you to suffer through that, you can use my request as a “wild card” drink and order something very non-banana. Congrats to you both!

Comment by christina

Weather schmeather – it’s still the Bahamas and you can take cover under the little paper umbrella in your fancy cocktail if need be. 🙂
Hope you have a wonderful time and thanks for the birthday wishes.

Comment by cheri

cheri
May 26, 2006 at 15:01

K-You got me all excited before I read a few more lines down!!! Even though your not moving back home, I guess I can be happy for you going to the BAHAMAS!!!! I think I should meet you there! Sound romantic? ME you and DRew! OK, at least have a couple (maybe a few more than that) of really exotic drinks for me and don’t forget to make fun of those thongers walking around looking like their ass just ate their granny panties!
PS-Good Job Andrew!!!!!!!! Next year maybe they will let you take a friend too 😉
Cheri

Comment by Lieve

Lieve
June 1, 2006 at 14:02

In the meantime in Everberg God punished some others for not having done their best at work like Andrew:
Tuesdag at noon: 9° C + raining.
Wednesday: 10°C + raining.
Thursday: 10° C. + raining
Etc….
Lieve

Comment by Jay

Sounds like a well-deserved vacation.
And I wouldn’t worry too much about the weather; the rain there is not like rain in the rest of the world. It’s so hot that much of the time, the rain evaporates into the system before hitting the ground. There’s a fine mist above you, but it’s not bad at all. But even if it pours, it’s still the Bahamas!!!!

Comment by expatraveler

Yeah for vacations but I just hope that you don’t get caught up in hurricane season!

Comments are closed.

We are Canadians, Alison & Andrew, and we are slow travelling the world – with our cats. We believe every destination has a story to tell and that the journey truly is the destination. We travel slow – because everywhere is somewhere. read more...